Undocumented Irish ‘can’t wait years for legislation’

President Barack Obama can take executive actions, without the support of the new Republican-led Congress, to help the long-term illegal Irish living in the US, Minister for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan has said.

The Minister accepted that executive actions might scupper the prospects of wider immigration reform with the ascendant Republican leadership in the Senate, which they won in this week’s midterm elections, but he said the “undocumented” needed urgent help.

“The problem here is that people can’t wait for more expansive legislation that could take some years,” he told The Irish Times.

Mr Deenihan said executive actions could give a large number of the estimated 50,000 illegal Irish “preferential treatment”.

“It will still leave some with difficulties but it will certainly solve the problem for some people,” he said.

Featured Video

President Trump at Homeland Security for Swearing-In and Executive Orders. President Trump signed two executive orders on immigration including one that calls for the immediate construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.